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Omar F. Miranda, one of the organizers of the recent Manfred performance at the Red Bull Theater in New York City, discusses the humor and eeriness of Byron’s drama with K-SAA. He also reflects on adapting the play to maintain the full-length text, and details what's next for a play witnessing a remarkable revival. . . .

In this interview, Jonathan Gross responds to seeing a staged reading of Manfred performed by the Red Bull Theater company, reflecting on how it changed his views regarding Byron’s drama. The interview concludes with Gross’ take on the “incest scandal” so often associated with the play. How did seeing the staged reading of Manfred enrich your understanding and enjoyment of the written text? Did it bring to life any elements of the written text that you were not expecting? The staged reading of Manfred showed me that the play could be performed; that there are dramatic moments between Manfred and the Witch of the Alps; that much of the play hinges on a series of philosophical confrontations about the nature of guilt; that some of these are more interesting than others; and that there is a distasteful aspect to Manfred that I did not see when I read and taught the play. The actor brought this out fully. Many of the key moments of Manfred are set in extreme locations such as the Alps, a c . . .

Rounding off our follow up from the panel on 'Manfred: The Text and its Circulation', Ghislaine McDayter reflects upon her paper: 'Iconography and Imagery of Manfred's Illustrations'. McDayter looks at the representations of Manfred and Astarte in Victorian art, exploring the use of Christian imagery. . . .

What were some of the challenges of adapting Manfred to a staged reading? How did you go about choosing what/not to cut? I’ve been wrestling with the problem of a staged Manfred for more than 40 years. During that period I’ve tried out several presentational approaches. The one I published a few years ago with Pasdeloup Press, Byron’s Manfred, was the most minimal. That work came after I’d spent a number of years writing a kind of Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern set of scenes drawn out of Byron’s life that I imagined would run simultaneously with Manfred on a revolving stage. But I gradually lost interest in that approach as a consequence of many conversations with my old friend Virgil Burnett, who was one of the driving agents in the founding of Cain’s Company at Chicago (when my interest in “unplayable plays” actually began in the late 60s.) A primary consideration for the minimalist Byron’s Manfred was that it not run more than 60-70 minutes, without intermission. It actually grew . . .

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